Worship on the River Jordan

Standing by the Jordan River

My alarm clock rang. I groaned and turned it off. I couldn't set it to snooze again. I actually had to get up. All I wanted to do was sleep. February was a busy month, filled with start of the new semester, preparation for Mother's Day in March, rehearsals for the school's production of Noah's Ark, the opening of the school's new gym, organization of the new library, planning for Easter Break and the MCC retreat in Barcelona, planning my return to the US, and stressing about my future after the end of my SALT term. All I wanted was a day to sleep in. But instead I rolled over and got up at 7:30 on a Friday morning (one of my normal days off). Why did I do this to myself? Oh right, because it's not everyday that I get the chance to go to a church service at the Jordan River.

On the bank of the Jordan

The Jordan River is the border between the Jordan and Israel/Palestine. As such, much of the land along it is used as a military base. There is a section near the place Jordanian's claim Jesus was baptized that is open to the public. As a show of good will toward the registered Christian denominations in Jordan the government gave each of them land near the Baptism Site to build a church. These Churches cannot be used on a weekly basis, however, because of their proximity to the border. Instead, each denomination has a chance to invite all of it's members to a worship service there once a year- normally around Epiphany.

The Bishops and the Priests

The Episcopal Church's day for this service was Friday, February 28th. Anglicans from across the country drove or were bused in for the service- I saw people I know I from Irbid, Husn, and Amman. And, the Bishop of the Jerusalem Diocese came to lead the service. Though the Episcopal Church has land on the River, it does not have the money at this time to build a church. Instead, the service was conducted on covered platform that opened up directly on to the Jordan River.

Worship Service

Though this is was my third trip to the Jordan, it was the first for my friends Ina and Judith. They were both underwhelmed by it. Though the Jordan River might have been grand in the past, today it is more of a dirty, mucky ditch than a river. Though, we did spend much time discussing the fact that we were literally feet from Israel/Palestine, and how frustrating it must be for many Jordanians who have Palestinian roots but for whom visiting their ancestral homes is nearly impossible.

At the rest stop

The service was about two hours long and was completely in Arabic. Some volunteers from the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) joined Judith, Ina, and me, and attempted to translate the sign language interpretation for us. They explained the sign language to Ina and Judith in German, and they in turn attempted to translate the German to English for me. It was a long and complicated process, so I quickly told them not to trouble themselves, they could tell me the gist of it later. I knew the tune of several of the hymns, though I didn't know the words well enough to actually sing. There was even a baptism- though disappointingly the person was not dunked into the River (I don't think people are allowed in the River where we were). Afterwards, the long process of communion began. One of the Priests sprinkled as many people as possible with what I assumed was holy water from the Jordan River, while the wine and bread were blessed. As the Priests got into position to distribute the communion, Ina leaned over to me and whispered, "Now it's time for the sharing of bacteria!" Normally the church has everyone drink for the same cup. Not at this service though. Instead of everyone getting a small piece of bread and a sip from the wine glass, the Priest dipped a small wafer in the goblet and placed it directly in each person's mouth. Soon after that the service concluded.

With a horse friend we made

Ina, Judith, the volunteers from HLID, and I took some pictures by the river then quickly headed to our respective buses. There were two buses going to Irbid, and they stopped twice on the return trip. The first stop was not far from the Baptism site, for a picnic lunch. The second was near Jarash (about halfway between Amman and Irbid) to rest and visit some shepherds on the side of a hill. After some exploring and signing, we got back on the bus and finished the journey. The house aunt here at the YWCA, Auntie Hannah, got off the bus with me in Husn and invited me to visit some of her family. I was tired and hungry so thankfully it was a short visit before the two of us headed back to the Y, where I made myself some pita pizza and plopped into my bed.